News

Applications Open for AW11

The British Fashion Council (BFC) today announced it is opening
applications for designers to participate in London Fashion Week (LFW)
February 2011. There are seven categories for application including
catwalk, presentation, digital presentation, the exhibition, Estethica
and its internationally recognised talent support scheme NEWGEN
sponsored by TOPSHOP and NEWGEN MEN, sponsored by TOPMAN.

LFW is one of the world’s leading designer showcases alongside New York,
Paris and Milan. Last season LFW generated over £70 million worth of
press coverage in the UK alone. The audience is made up of UK and
International press, buyers and industry professionals including key
opinion formers.

The London Fashion Week (LFW) Exhibition
showcases 200 of the industry’s most creative UK and International
designer businesses. The BFC aims for the exhibition to mirror the
energy on the catwalk and presentation schedule.

Estethica
is the BFC’s eco sustainable initiative sponsored by Monsoon. All
potential Estethica designers must adhere to at least one of the three
principles of fair-trade and ethical practices, organic and recycled
materials and are selected for both their ethical credentials and design
excellence.

The BFC ‘NEWGEN’
scheme, currently sponsored by TOPSHOP was set up in 1993 with the
mission to support the growth of original new collections which have the
potential to make a mark on the international scene. Designers who have
been in business for three years or less and are eligible to apply for
the NEWGEN scheme and those selected will receive sponsorship and
mentoring tailored to the scale and positioning of their products and
businesses. Judging is undertaken voluntarily by a panel of Britain’s
top editors, buyers and talent scouts who compare entrants against the
standards of excellence attained by former winners including some of
Britain’s highest profile designers including Alexander McQueen, Matthew
Williamson, Julien Macdonald and more recently Giles Deacon, Gareth
Pugh, Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, Richard Nicoll and Todd Lynn.
Sarah Mower is the BFC’s Abassador for Emerging Talent and is the chair
of this committee.

NEWGEN Men,
sponsored by Topman, launched with success in September 2009. It
provides menswear designers with business support, funding and the
opportunity to use the official BFC venue, Somerset House, to host a
catwalk show during London Fashion Week’s Menswear Day.

The closing date for applications is 18th October 2010 for the
LFW Exhibition and Estethica, 15th October 2010 for NEWGEN and 22nd
October 2010 for NEWGEN MEN.